Snorkel with whistle attached thereto



June 30, 1964 Fig.

F. V. LIBERATORE SNORKEL. WITH WHISTLE ATTACHED THERETO Filed March 10,1961 Frank M Liberafore INVENTO'K (am Fwy 19% United States Patent OilFree 3,139,087. Patented June 30, 1964 3,139,087 SNORKEL WiTH WHISTLEATTACHED THERETO Frank V. Liberatore, 592 Crescent St., Brooklyn, N.Y.Filed Mar. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 94,732 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-145) Thisinvention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a snorkel ofa type which is currently and commonly in use and has reference, more inparticular, to an attached audible signal, a whistle for example, whichcan be used by a submerged skin diver whenever a call for assistance andhelp has to be given.

In the belief that certain general information will be helpful ingrasping the full significance of the inventive concept it is to beexplained that a snorkel, as is generally known, comprises a plastic,aluminum or an equivalent rigid breathing tube which is J-shaped andordinarily some 18 inches more or less in length. The tube hereindisclosed is open at both ends and has a return bend at what may becalled the lower end. This return bend is provided with a terminalproperly shaped to provide a mouthpiece or, if desired, a separaterubber mouthpiece may be attached. As is also known a snorkel tubepermits the user, usually a skin diver, to lie on the surface with hishead submerged examining and watching the depths below. A snorkel tubeis usually held in place by slipping it undereath the head strap of adiving mask (not shown) and the mouthpiece is gripped between the teeth.With practice, even a beginner soon learns to recognize when the snorkelis covered by waves or the surf. By merely holding the breath air in thetube will keep out most of the water. Exhaling sharply will blow out anytrapped water from the tube and normal breathing can be resumed. Thedesired principle of correct reliable use becomes automatic with trialand error experience. Expert skin divers, as is also known, carry asnorkel tube on dives ranging from 40 to 50 feet. By breathing through asnorkel a skin diver can effortlessly float on the surface and view sealife or hazards before going under water. Snorkel tubes are widely used.The advantages of a snorkel on the surface are numerous. By breathingthrough the mouthpiece and tube, it is unnecessary to raise the headabove the surface when air is needed. Thus the user can see what isunder him at all times. He can float perfectly flat on the surfacewithout moving a muscle and still breathe. Also, eyes remain focused tothe soft light underwater, eliminating the time it takes to adjust theeyes from sunlight to this softer light, when a fish or an appealingledge is spotted, the user can either dive immediately or wait until anopportune moment.

Briefly summarized the instant invention has to do, as above suggested,with a simple one-piece J-shaped rigid tube of requisite length andcross-section. Both ends are open. The audible signal, which is thechief improvement here, is telescopically and removably mounted on theupper (upper in the views of the drawing) end of the tube. A preferredembodiment is that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing andwhich comprises a simple and economical attachment. The attachment maybe referred to as a head or as a cap with an attaching neck. The neckhas breathing ports distributively arranged therein. The upper end ofthe tube is fitted telescopically into the lower end of the neck. Theupper end of the cap is imperforate and rounded and interiorly it isconstructed to provide a chamber. The chamber has an air inlet orificecommunicating therewith permitting the injected air to enter thechamber. There is also a side hole for the exit of the air and on theinside a small freely movable or fioatable ball or the like is confined.Thus a simple whistle is had.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of. a snorkel tube equipped with theimproved signalling whistle;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view with parts in section andelevation and wherein the structural details of the attached whistle areclearly revealed; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section on the line 3--3 of FIG- URE 2, looking inthe direction of the arrows.

In FIGURE 1 the snorkel is denoted by the numeral 4 and as alreadysuggested it comprises a rigid, generally J-shaped tube 6 of requisitelength and cross-section. The lower end portion is bent upon itself toprovide a return bend 8 and the free open end thereof is flattened andsuitably shaped as at 10 to provide a suitable mouthpiece. This part 10may be provided with a rubber mouthpiece if so desired. The oppositeupper end of the tube is open as at 12. It is on this end portion thatthe signalling whistle 14 is mounted. This whistle may be made ofmoldable plastics of a suitable type. The component parts may well besimilar or symmetrical half-sections with edges butted together andsuitably sealed. The finished product comprises a head or,alternatively, a cap. The major body part comprises a sleeve 16 thelower end portion 18 of which is fitted telescopically over the upperend of the tube. The upper end portion is of semispherical domical formas at 19 and an internal semispherical partition 20 cooperatingtherewith defines a spherical chamber 22 in which the relatively smallball 24 is freely movable. The air exit or discharge orifice leadingfrom the chamber is denoted at 26. The adjacent air inlet orifice is at28 and this orifice is formed at the upper end of an elongated passage30. This passage is defined by way of a partition or wall 32 of theshape and form seen in FIGURE 3. The air intake at the lower end of thepassage is denoted at 34. The

end of the partition stops short of the neck portion 18 and defines astop shoulder 36. This arrangement of parts facilitates telescopicallyconnecting the upper end portion 38 of the tube with the lower endportion 18 of the neck.

Experience has shown that no ball check or equivalent valves arenecessary or required in the herein disclosed snorkel tube. Many personsof skill have tested the same and have found it to be practical andfeasible. These tests have been done with and also without valves.Results have shown that this tubewithout any valve meanswhatsoever-works effectively and safely. The amount of water that doesenter usually amounts to about two tablespoonfuls. The trapped water iscontained in the bend at the bottom. This minimal amount of water, whenreaching the surface, can be forcibly blown out with a couple of strongshort exhalations. The tube is then ready for whistling and breathingneeds. The whistle 14 is actuated by short, intermittent, strong puffsor exhalations through the tube 6.

By resorting to a system of predetermined signals a skin diver can usethe instant whistle-equipped snorkel to call a buddy or someone else whomay be nearby while the snorkel tube is still out of the water andwhile, at the same time, his face is under water. The invention alsocomes in handy when the user may have his hands full, that is, he may becarrying a spear gun, similar equip ment, fish, crabs and so on. Ifunder such circumstances a signal whistle is required he is ready to useit accordingly. Many other features and advantages too numerous to dwellupon here will become evident once the improved signal-equipped snorkelhas met with widespread adoption and use.

A careful consideration of the specification in conjunction with thedrawings will enable the reader to obtain a clear understanding of theinvention. Therefore, a more extensive description is believed to beunnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents maybe resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

V What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use by a skin diver, a conventional-type snorkel comprising arigid elongated tube open at an upper end and provided with a returnbend at its lower end having a terminal defining and providing amouthpiece, said tube being imperforate fromend to end, and, incombination, a breath actuated signalling whistle comprising a caphaving an upper end which is'closed and imperforate andprovided on theinterior of its upper portion with a transverse partition cooperatingwith said upper end and providing and defininga chamber provided at oneside thereof with an air discharge orifice, a lengthwise partition onthe interior of the hollow portion of said cap and joined with portionsof the wall thereof and spaced there from and providing an elongatedrestricted air passage, one end of said passage being in communicationwith said elongated tube at one end and communicating with said airdischarge orifice at the other end, the lower end of said partitionterminating short of and being spaced above the lower end of the cap anddefining an attaching neck and also a shoulder, the upper end of thesnorkel tube telescoping into said neck and said shoulder engaging aportion of said upper end, a median portion of said cap below saidfirst-named partition being provided with breathing ports, and arelatively small ball confined in. said chamber and coopcrable with saiddischarge orifice and the cooperating end ofsaid air passage.

2. A breath-actuated snorkel comprising a vertical open endedimperforate tube having upper and lower ends, said lower end providedwith a mouthpiece for use by the skindiver, said tube being of a lengththat the upper end portion'thereof projects in a periscope-like mannerabove the surface of the Water when said snorkel is being used, and anaudible signalling whistle comprising an elongated cap having an upperimperforate semispherical end, provided on one side below the upper endwith a restricted soundareproducing orifice, being provided in the upperend portion below said orifice with an integral sernispherical partitioncooperating with said upper end and defining a spherical ball-containingchamber, said orifice communicating with the space of said chamber, arelatively small ball confined for operation in said chamber, the medianportion of said cap being provided with circumferentially spacedbreathing ports, the lower end portion of said cap being fashioned intoan attaching neck and said neck being fitted removably andtelescopically over the upper end of said snorkel tube, the interior ofthe hollow portion of said cap on that side below and in alignment withsaid orifice having a restricted air passage communicating at its lowerend with the upper open end of said snorkel tube and having its upperend cooperating with said partition and communicating with said chamberadjacent said orifice.

3. For use by a skin diver, audible signally means designed and adaptedto be mounted on, when in use, an upper open end of a conventionalJ-shaped or an equivalent snorkel comprising: a breath-actuatedsignalling whistle embodying an elongated cap having an-upper end whichis closed and provided on its interior with an integral imperforatepartition which in conjunction with said upper end defines and providesa hollow signalling chamber, said chamber being provided on one sidethereof with an orifice, a second partition extending lengthwise andjoined to interior surface portions of the body portion of said cap andspaced therefrom and providing an elongated air passage, said passagebeing restricted in cross-section, the upper end of said passage beingin communication with said orifice, the lower end of said passage beingspaced upwardly from the extreme lower end of the body portion of thecap and cooperating in defining an attaching neck and also a snorkeltube abutting shoulder, said neck being adapted to permit the upper endof the snorkel tube to be fitted therein, a'median portion of said capbelow said first-named partition being provided with breathing ports,and a relatively small ball confined in said chamber and cooperable withsaid orifice and also with the cooperating upper end of said airpassage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,690,729 Maier' Oct. 5, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 124,220 Germany Oct. 11,1901 244,763 Germany Mar. 16, 1912 422,610 Italy -Q. July 20, 1947

3. FOR USE BY A SKIN DIVER, AUDIBLE SIGNALLY MEANS DESIGNED AND ADAPTEDTO BE MOUNTED ON, WHEN IN USE, AN UPPER OPEN END OF A CONVENTIONALJ-SHAPED OR AN EQUIVALENT SNORKEL COMPRISING: A BREATH-ACTUATEDSIGNALLING WHISTLE EMBODYING AN ELONGATED CAP HAVING AN UPPER END WHICHIS CLOSED AND PROVIDED ON ITS INTERIOR WITH AN INTEGRAL IMPERFORATEPARTITION WHICH IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAID UPPER END DEFINES AND PROVIDESA HOLLOW SIGNALLING CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER BEING PROVIDED ON ONE SIDETHEREOF WITH AN ORIFICE, A SECOND PARTITION EXTENDING LENGTHWISE ANDJOINED TO INTERIOR SURFACE PORTIONS OF THE BODY PORTION OF SAID CAP ANDSPACED THEREFROM AND PROVIDING AN ELONGATED AIR PASSAGE, SAID PASSAGEBEING RESTRICTED IN CROSS-SECTION, THE UPPER END OF SAID PASSAGE BEINGIN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID ORIFICE, THE LOWER END OF SAID PASSAGE BEINGSPACED UPWARDLY FROM THE EXTREME LOWER END OF THE BODY PORTION OF THECAP AND COOPERATING IN DEFINING AN ATTACHING NECK AND ALSO A SNORKELTUBE ABUTTING SHOULDER, SAID NECK BEING ADAPTED TO PERMIT THE UPPER ENDOF THE SNORKEL TUBE TO BE FITTED THEREIN, A MEDIAN PORTION OF SAID CAPBELOW SAID FIRST-NAMED PARTITION BEING PROVIDED WITH BREATHING PORTS,AND A RELATIVELY SMALL BALL CONFINED IN SAID CHAMBER AND COOPERABLE WITHSAID ORIFICE AND ALSO WITH THE COOPERATING UPPER END OF SAID AIRPASSAGE.